As the city?s boom puts development pressure on center of country music, new preservation ideas emerge When country music megastars George Strait and Alan Jackson performed ?Murder on Music Row? live during the 1999 Country Music Association Awards show, the two singers used the song?s blunt lyrics to critique the radio-friendly sheen of contemporary country and its threat to traditional songwriting and artistry.
Anyone familiar with the country music world immediately understood the reference to Nashville?s Music Row. This modest strip of homes and offices clustered southwest of downtown Nashville is considered the heart and soul of country music, and contains a critical mass of songwriters, recording studios, publishing houses, and industry figures unmatched anywhere else in the country. A 2013 analysis by the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce?s found the region?s music industry, which is largely contained by this small neighborhood, generates $9.7 billion in economic activity each year, representing 56,000 jobs. When Strait and Jackson uttered their particularly savage broadside??Nobody saw him running from 16th Avenue / They never found the fingerprint or the weapon that was used / But someone killed country music, cut out its heart and soul / They got away with murder down on Music Row??it?s a good bet that more than a few in the audience could picture those famous blocks.

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Construction cranes dot the skyline of Nashville in ...